A Chance Meeting
by BlessedMay
Summary: It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." -Anthony Robbins
1. Chapter 1

(A/N) This is for Miss Ginny Weasley who requested a fic about Jasper meeting Alice in Philadelphia for the first time. So, without further ado...

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Pennsylvania is a state made up of many small towns.

Or at least, that is what I have come to think of it. Scale a mountain, cross a river, wherever you go, you will find a small town. Even when I finally found a large city, Philadelphia, it was soaked with history and small mom and pop shops could be found at nearly every corner. It is a strange mix of new and old, but it has its own charm. In fact, I believe that if I were still human, this would be a good place to settle down and start a family.

But, of course, I am no longer human, and raising a family is something beyond me now. Maria stole that future from me, so now I must seek other possibilities.

I glanced up at the sky, the unusually murky day was changing it's tone. The clouds looked like they were about ready to clear and the last thing I wanted to do was frighten the city with my little problem. Sparkling skin isn't naturally occuring. I tipped my hat down in the front and crossed the nearly empty street to enter a red and black decorated diner. I barely glanced at the waitress before I took a seat in a corner booth, the last thing I wanted was someone to bother me. I don't know how long I sat there, but eventually those clouds did disperse and the sun began to shine once more. I resolved to remain in the diner until the last possible moment.

The moment she walked into the diner, I knew my life was forever changed.

She was dressed in the height of style. Her short sleeved jacket was a charcoal grey that tapered at the waist and flared at the hips, while her skirt was black and clung to her legs like a second skin with just a slight flare at the base of her knees. A white blouse could be seen at the front of her jacket with ruffles down the middle, while the entire outfit was contained by a slim black belt with a silver buckle. Black wavy hair toppled down her back artfully, held back by a broad, black satin hat. White gloves encased her arms to the elbow.

For a moment, I was too awed by her to move. I stopped blinking, twitching, everything that signaled human stopped. Because she was different too. She turned to look at me and her amber eyes caught my red ones from across the room. Time stopped as a sweet smile curved her lips. I knew right then and there that I would need to know more than just her name. I would need to know everything about her. Especially why a creature of the night such as her, could have amber eyes instead of red.

She walked towards me and took off her hat. Seeing that she was going to join me at the booth, I rose and waited for her to be easily slipped into the seat across from me and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was so beautiful, she made my heart want to cry. I sat down as well and tried to swallow my nervousness.

"Hello Jasper Whitlock, I'm Alice." Alice, what a sweet name for a dark haired angel. I froze. She gave no last name, how would I address her? "Well aren't you going to say something?"

"How do you know my name?" Trained curiosity rose in me automatically. The war taught me to be cautious, Maria taught me to guard my words. Even if this woman screamed safety, I could not become vulnerable again. I would die first. At least, if I knew how.

"I know many things about you Jasper, and I know that worries you even more. Let's just say that I have a gift like you, that enlightens me to more than normal." I let my face remain blank while thoughts flew through my mind. Gift? She must be referring to my empathy. Across from me, she was a delightful blur of curiosity, eagerness and joy. I got the feeling that she had enormous amounts of energy stored up in her. I could feel distant emotions from the other patrons in the diner; worry, misery, happiness, anxiety. Humans are queer creatures, so many emotions in such frail bodies.

"You sought me out." I chose to be cryptic because I feared that my unnatural comfort in her presence would make me open up too much.

"I saw you in my mind, a soldier with too many burdens. I saw the war eat away at your body and then a woman eat away at your soul. She spoke love, but only offered violence. You look for peace and to be absolved." She paused because I was frightened. How could someone I've never met in my entire life know so much about me? I surely would have remembered her had I met her at a battlefield hospital, or even if I met her when with Maria. She was too bright to be smeared with my dark memories and go unnoticed. I glanced outside and saw the sky was beginning to darken, I saw my moment to run and was willing to embrace it. Her gloved hand on mine made me stop.

"Please, let me finish." Her gaze caught mine and I relaxed into my seat again. I could at least let her finish her story, even if it did frighten me. "Everything about you is dark before Philadelphia. But I saw something new, something fresh, and I want it more than anything else. For you and for me." She glanced out the window and her eyes filled with fire as she turned back to me.

"Tell me." She smiled again and she rocked my world.

"I saw five people. A doctor who sought to heal more than just physical wounds. A mother who wanted to love us like her children. A pianist who can make us cry with the melodies he dreams. A woman that needs love and support to recover and burn like a star. And a brother who would love us no matter what we've done and what we've gone through." Her voice choked up and she looked so earnest in that moment, that I would have given her the moon if it was in my abilities. "I saw a home for us Jasper. That's where we need to go."

I continued to sit in silence as she recovered her poise. It looked very important to her to have control over silly things like that, things that make a woman a woman. I loved how despite her small form, she could contain so much strength of mind and body. She swiped her hand across her face and I had a moment of clarity. I had known this woman for no more than ten minutes, but she had already changed my world. I could never go back to my dark life of reflected pain from the outside world every again. She had brought light and life into my world and I wanted to keep it.

"I know this is sudden for you Jasper, but I've had years to build up to this moment. I was only waiting for the right time. I'll understand if you don't want to go." She said the words, but I knew they were a lie. She wouldn't understand because the world that she offered us was so much brighter than the world I had been living in. Her light would burn out if I said no. How could I, a simple soldier, cause the end of her light?

"Let's go." Maybe I'm a man of few words, but those two words seemed to alter her reality. Her grin filled my heart with unexpected joy.

"Let's go home." She whispered before slipping her hand into mine.

And so the journey began.

**To be continued.... **


	2. Chapter 2

I quickly learned that despite Alice's frail exterior, she was a force to be reckoned with.

The hunger rose in me one night more ferociously than ever before. My entire body throbbed with the desire to rip into a fragile human and drink their life blood. I was running faster than ever before, one intention stuck in my mind. Then Alice was there, flinging me away from the city with the force of a hundred humans. I automatically turned my attack on her, but she persistantly forced me back from the city until we were so deep in nature that I could no longer hear the sounds of a bustling city. Abruptly she dived into the foliage and I launched myself after her. It was predator versus predator and I was ready to step up to the challenge. When I found her she had the blood of a black bear smeared across her lips and my stomach burned.

"Feast with me Jasper." She said it in an innocent tone, but it was all hunger in her eyes. I pounced on the fallen black bear in a rage and drank until I couldn't stomach another ounce. Alice waited beside me patiently; she was petting my hair when I came back to myself. My hands were covered in the blood of the creature we had slaughtered. I was thrown into my memories suddenly.

_Flashback_

_The startling crack of gunfire made me dive for cover. I hid behind a tree with my rifle in hand, my hat lay beside me on the ground, covered in mud and worse things. I shifted against the rough bark of the tree and felt my grey uniform bunch up in the back. I waited patiently for the firing in my direction to cease. All the while I could hear the frightened cries of my soldiers as they were shot. Black powder and the stench of sweat and death made breathing a choking job. I turned in a flash and fired into the bushes across the field. A blue suited soldier toppled over and his blood spilled from underneath him._

_End flashback_

"Jasper!" My eyes were wild and Alice had a firm grip on my arms. "Come back to me." Her words were a hushed whisper.

"I'm here Alice." She looked like she didn't trust me. I wouldn't trust me at that moment either. "I promise, I was just... remembering something."

"I know, you were screaming." Her eyes were so worried. I melted into her arms and pressed my face against her bare neck. She was wearing one of my long sleeved button up shirts and a pair breeches. She looked so comfortable in my clothing and I enjoyed the sight of her that way.

"It's dark in me, sometimes I think you're the only light I have left." She leaned forward to kiss my temple, but I turned at the last moment and caught her kiss on my lips. The first kiss was light, chaste, but the second one was passionate and hungry. The blood lust was sated, but another was rising in me just as quickly. I hurled myself out of her arms, leaving her slightly staggered.

"I apologize Alice, I am a gentlemen and you are a lady, you deserve better than my uncouth behavior." She gave me a predator's smile before launching herself into my arms. Her lips were pressed against mine and I was pressed against a tree. We feasted on each other's passions until the sun sank down behind the mountains and the moon had risen high in the sky. When she finally released me, I was breathless and desperate for more of her.

"I love you Jasper, the dark and the light." Her words moved me in phenomenal ways. If I could choose but one woman to spend the rest of eternity with, it would be her. Maria was just a bad past life compared to the beauty Alice inspired in me.

My former lover had spent her spare time making me miserable. She soaked herself in the blood of her enemies and feasted on their dark emotions. She surrounded herself with blood and gore and then dragged me to her side so that I could experience it all with her. Raven hair and red eyes had made her my dark beauty, but the presence of Alice in my life was slowly washing away the tide of blood.

"We have a long journey ahead of us and we wouldn't want to be late. Let's hurry, I want to be in Alaska by Thursday." Her eagerness caught me off guard and I let an uncharacteristic grin spread across my mouth. Alice smiled with me before throwing me into the river nearby. "Now wash up silly, we can't meet our family with blood on our hands."

"Anything you say love." I turned to face the dark haired vampire only to see her methodically unbuttoning her shirt. I froze. What was I supposed to do now? No one ever taught me how to react appropriately when the love of your life decides to take off her clothes for you before your marriage! I turned around in the blink of an eye and fought not to watch her. I focused my eyes on the rush of the river and tried to pretend that I couldn't hear the clothes brush the ground.

"Jasper," She spoke my name like a prayer as her hand slipped across my back. She wrapped her arms around my clothed form and I could feel her pressed against me. She unbuttoned my shirt swiftly and pulled it off with ease. We were skin to skin now and I had never known a more perfect sensation. Her hands drifted further below and I could feel her going for the snaps on my trousers. I grasped her hands to pause her.

"Please Alice, my control only goes so far." She smiled against my back and gave a feminine giggle. She gave me no answer but continued to try and undo my pants. She brushed a kiss across my neck and I released her hands. My body ached in want of her. I was finally free of the constrictions of social boundaries and there we were, wrapped in each other's arms like sneaky lovers.

"Love me Jasper." She requested so softly. I caught her eyes with mine before pressing a kiss to her soft lips.

"Your wish is my command."

And not even time could have torn us apart in that moment.

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

The Cullens were not what I expected.

The doctor, Carlisle, was surprised to see us at his door, but with the mother, Esme, at his side, he welcomed us in quite easily. We were watched warily at first, no one knew quite what to expect from us. I could nearly taste the curiosity and confusion in the air it was so thick. I was frozen, rigid because they were new to me and I was new to them. How do you change almost a life time's training that tells you to be hostile when others want to offer you kindness? I felt awkward, unusual in their home. I was lucky enough that their house was located far enough away from society that I had no fear of going into a blood lust induced rage anytime soon. I merely tried to sit still in the chair they offered and let Alice do the talking.

And Alice sure could talk.

She wove a tale so intricate, so compelling that I had to fight to not be spellbound by her words. She was perched so easily on the edge of the couch beside me, her left hand resting comfortably on my lap. She'd swing her head to the side as she spoke, a very human action, and her hair would brush across my face and I would be overwhelmed by the scent of her, the scent of us. I knew she did it intentionally, trying to help me relax. In truth, she only helped me grow increasingly uncomfortable around the family we wanted to accept us because all I could remember was that little river and our stolen moment in the woods.

"So what do you think of all this Jasper?" Carlisle asked. I lifted my burnt orange eyes to his and kept my face blank. He lifted an eyebrow and smiled slowly. I could only imagine the thoughts in their minds about our sudden appearance. I sat in silence, contemplating what I wanted to say. I was afraid that anything I said could change their minds. Here I was, just a lone, confederate soldier without a penny to my name, showing up in their abode at the urgings of my unwed lover. I felt like a dirty speck in their clean living room. What could I say to summerize all that I felt? I opened my mouth to speak, but abruptly shut it. I had nothing to say.

"Maybe we could use a moment to collect our thoughts." Esme suggested smoothly, a warm smile on her face. Alice nodded her head and rose beside me. She slid her hand into mine and pulled me easily from the couch. I lifted her hand to my lips and pressed a kiss to it. She was a delightful little imp and she was all mine.

"Could I have a word Jasper?" The question came from the piano bench. Edward had sat there nearly the entire conversation, his hands carefully poised upon the keys as if he were going to play a delicate tune, but he never moved, just sat there. I turned my head to him with my eyes wide, what could he have to say? He rose from the piano bench and led me outside onto the back porch. I knew everyone inside could still hear us, but it was a nice image all the same.

"You're very hard on yourself." He said. The statement was so softly spoken, but so very opinionated. I blinked several times, just for the sake of it before giving him a queer look. "But I can understand feeling dirty in the living room, even I feel awkward in there at times. Esme has a strange fondness for white rooms." I stepped back in surprise. He echoed my thoughts so clearly that I wasn't sure what to think. Had I felt the expressions on my face? No, I would have surely remembered removing my blank face. Not much could shake it off.

"You're confused, I understand. I am a mindreader, it is my particular gift. Just as you can feel what others feel, I can hear what others think." I fought the urge to run. Instead, I lifted my chin and spoke in a quiet voice.

"I not only feel what others feel, I can make them feel what I want them to feel." My stance was stiff and professional, I felt like a soldier dressed up for inspection once again. I could almost hear the thud of boots against muddy ground, the whisper of uniforms as soldiers shifted in the rain. Abruptly, I was taken back to another time, another place.

_Flashback_

_The rain was thick and heavy, an unusual experience for New Mexico. The normally dry, dusty ground was now a red mud that gripped at my boots and swallowed my footsteps completely. The ground was not only muddy, but also littered with the bodies of our victims. On a whim, Maria had gone into a rage and decided that she didn't want to just drink the blood of a human, she wanted to bathe the ground with their blood. Stepping daintily over puddles, Maria's little, black boots had a layer of clay and blood stuck to them. I gave a small smile and tried to hide it behind my hand. She saw however and growled her distaste. She gripped my shoulder to turn me to face her and her molten eyes met mine. Her hand ripped across my face, leaving four, neat slice marks on my right cheek. _

_"A gentleman never laughs at a lady Jasper Whitlock. Respect me, worship me, love me if you must, but never mock me." My heart lurched and I dropped to my knees in the middle of the pouring rain. My grey uniform was a complete wreck because of my groveling, but I could not insult my lover, my goddess. _

_"I ask your forgiveness Maria, I forget myself." Her eyes were hooded and she held out the hand she had sliced me open with. Her fingers had my blood on them, but I grasped her hand gently nonetheless and pressed a soft kiss to it. _

_"You'll be worthy of me yet lover." She said before patting my head like I was a dog. I lifted my red eyes to her and worshipped her with my gaze. My goddess was well pleased._

_End flashback _

I gasped for oxygen that I didn't need. The clouds delivered a slight drizzle to compliment the pink streaks on my cheeks. I furiously wiped the remnants of my vampiric tears away before straightening up again. I was a man and I could recover from this memory just like I did all the others. I wanted Alice at my side and she was there. I just had to think and there she was at my side, hands pressed against my cheeks so carefully.

"Jasper, are you alright?" She whispered her question, her eyes locked onto mine. I felt my firm resolve start to crumble and my body quaked the slightest bit. She pulled me into her arms and held me as close as she did that day in the river. "It'll be alright Jazz, I'm here." She pressed her lips against my forehead and I fought to not linger in her embrace.

"What in God's name did you do to my brother, Whitlock?" Rosalie, the blonde, was standing next to the fallen Edward with a vicious look in her eyes. I could only imagine that when she was allowed to experience wrath, her rage would be something ruthless and breath taking. The resemblance to Maria was frightening and I had to fight back the urge to revert back into my shell. The automatic response was to praise and grovel, but this was Rosalie, not Maria, and she was no goddess of mine. No one ruled over me, not even Alice.

"Edward, are you feeling ill?" Carlisle asked, stepping out onto the porch with us. He gently pushed Rosalie to the side to fully inspect the other man. Edward was rising from the ground however and looked no worse for wear.

"I'm fine Carlisle, Jasper just caught me off guard." He turned his amber gaze to me and I froze. If anything was bound to turn this family away, it was my horrendous past with Maria and the wars I lived in. "You had a hard life, but that we can forgive. Just, give me a little warning next time you decide to take a trip down memory lane."

I was shocked, flabberghasted, completely lost for words. He was not horrified by our blood bath, but dismissed it with the wave of a hand. I stumbled backwards and Alice was there behind me, a hand pressed to my lower back and a concerned look in her eyes. I recovered my composure however and fixed my blank expression on my face once again. Esme led us back into the house and to the couches again. I took my seat at Alice's side and watched Edward as he returned to the piano. He sat there like before, with his fingers poised as if to play, but no music flowed from the black polished beast, just a patience, as if he had all the time in the world to receive inspiration.

"So Jasper, now that you've had some time to collect your thoughts, how do you feel about becoming a member of our family?" Carlisle's question was expected and this time, I had an answer.

"With Alice at my side, I can see your family as being something I want to belong to." Esme smiled sweetly at my answer and rested a hand on my shoulder.

"You and Alice are more than welcome to join us here Jasper. Our family has more than enough room to include you two." She leaned over slowly, giving me time to recognize and accept her next move. She wrapped me in her arms and hugged me as a mother does her son. I was stiff at first, but I relaxed into her arms because she felt like home.

When she pulled away, I turned my gaze to Alice to find her smiling broadly. She leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to my lips. Her amber eyes met my dark orange ones and she brushed a lock of blond hair away from my forehead.

"This is home Jazz. This is the journey's end."

Truer words have never been spoken.

**Fin**

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(A/N) This is the end of A Chance Meeting, but there will be an epilogue of sorts that I'm messing around with. Sort of Jasper and Edward/Bella focused. Stick around and we'll find out what happens.


	4. Chapter 4

**Epilogue: The day Edward met Bella**

I was gardening with Esme when we heard the music.

We shared a look of confusion before Esme smiled softly. I set the hand shovel down in the dark soil before rising to my feet. I removed my gloves and let them fall to the ground as I wandered back towards the house. Stepping past the open glass doors, I headed towards Edward's library. I paused under the archway to the room and watched as my brother for the past half decade played a tune so emotional, so passionate, I was swaying where I stood. White paper covered the piano with delicate scrawls that I could only recognize as Edward's particular brand of script. Smudges of ink on the paper blurred out some passages, but I understood the overall message. Music, he had written music for the first time in over twenty years.

His long fingers painted beauty across the white keys with such ease, such care. He was completely absorbed in the music. His body rocked back and forth on the piano bench as his head dipped left and right with the rhythm. The pace picked up abruptly and he moved along with the speed. With his bronze hair wild and his amber eyes squeezed shut, he looked the part of a disturbed lover. I could feel his passion, his intensity from across the room and I could only wonder what had driven him to write such a moving piece of music. The tune tapered off to an end and I felt my heart lurch, wishing for more. He let his hands fall from the keys as he slumped in his seat. He turned those gold eyes to me and I knew.

Miss Isabella Swan, the police chief's daughter. She was the only woman I have ever known to break the composure of my brother. We had all panicked when Edward had been moved to slaughter earlier at school, yet immensely thankful that he had not. If Edward could break so completely, how could I dream of having a chance of strength? I could see now that she did not just smell delectable, she had touched Edward's heart in phenomenal ways.

"Just like Alice, huh?" He whispered. I smiled at my brother and nodded. Alice had melted me with her amber eyes and quirky ways, but she had moved me so completely, that by the end of our first day together I would have faced an entire army of newborns for her if she asked.

"I don't know if I would go that far, but I do feel a strange compulsion to stay by her side." Edward's words were not just acknowledgement to myself, he was admitting the truth to himself. He rose from the bench and cast a glance towards his homework. It lay forgotten in his backpack that he had slung to the side when entering the library. He turned back to me and we both smiled.

"Where are you going now?" I asked him as he passed by me. He was rubbing his hands together, trying to wipe off the ink smudges, but was unsuccessful. I pulled a white handkerchief from my back pocket and tossed it to him. He nodded gratefully and wiped away his mess.

"I'm going for a walk, I think." Edward said as he handed me back the cloth. I raised an eyebrow before chuckling softly.

"A walk, of course." I whispered before heading upstairs to mine and Alice's room. Somehow, I couldn't help but think that his walk would start here and end with her. He exited the house without further ado and I watched him leave from my window. Yes, he was leaving for her, because when you meet that someone, a journey starts. My journey had been a hard road that taught me to love unconditionally, to trust in others, and above all, to never forget that I had a home to come back to, no matter what I had done and who I had met.

Edward's journey was just beginning now and there was a brown eyed girl in Forks who was waiting for him to accept the challenge.

"Good luck and God speed, brother."

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(A/N) And that, my dear readers, is the end. Thanks again to Miss Ginny Weasley for so kindly requested a Jasper/Alice. If you are craving a fic, please, feel free to ask and I'll see what I can whip out of the blue.


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